Tuesday, November 20, 2007

America hot on Philippine reefs

America hot on Philippine reefs

In 2003, the world famous and at one time the largest indoor aquarium in the world, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, located in Chicago, Illinois, United States created a permanent exhibit called Wild Reef.This 750-thousand gallon Wild Reef exhibit recreates the Apo IslandMarine reserve, located in Negros Oriental, Philippines.The Apo Island Marine Reserve is a model community-based marine conservation and community development program organized by the residents of ApoIsland, SillimanUniversity in Dumaguete and other supporters. The Wild Reef permanent exhibit has living coral, numerous species of fish and sharks within a400,000 gallon (1.5 million liter) shark exhibit with twelve foot (3.6 meter) high curved windows.

Now, the west coast seeks to create their own coral reef exhibit focusing on the Luzon part of the country.A $400 million Philippine Coral Exhibit is being planned at the California Academy of Sciences.In case, you haven’t heard about it, here is the blurb and podcast from the San Francisco Chronicle Podcast.

There is much potential in transnational environmental activism and collaboration.Fiipinos and American-Filipinos, along with Americans, can accomplish much.

California Academy of Sciences Artist rendition of the new $400 million Philippine Coral Reef exhibit.

The Philippine Coral Reef off the coast of Luzon in the Philippines is considered an underwater sea treasure because of its rich diversity of marine life. Scientists say conservation of the endangered reef has ecological implications throughout the world.

So the California Academy of Sciences is creating a $400 million replica of the reef here in San Francisco.

In this Pinoy Pod podcast, The Chronicle's Michelle Louie reports on how the academy is working with scientists and researchers in the Philippines on the 212,000 gallon replica, scheduled to open in 2008 in the museum's new Golden GatePark home.

The California Academy of Sciences is building a $400 million model of the Philippine Coral Reef in San Francisco.

But on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, the reef -- with its abundance of marine life -- is a priceless source of daily sustenance for residents in coastal towns in the Philippines, says Malou Babilonia, co-founder of the environmental activist group Pusod.

Pusod, a Berkeley environmental education and conservation group with offices in the Philippines, is working with the CaliforniaAcademy on the reef replica.

California Academy of Sciences Artist rendition of new exhibit

In the second of a two-part podcast, Babilonia talks about what the reef means for residents on the coast of Batangas province, about the need to help save the reef from man-made ecological problems and how the San Francisco project will help.

She talks with The Chronicle's Michelle Louie from the Philippines about the group's weekly newspaper Balikas that covers - despite death threats -- laws and other local efforts to protect the reef.